Covered Redux
by Not The Whip
Summary: Naruto learned a lot in the past five years, but he never did learn when to leave well enough alone. SasuNaru, onesided GaaNaru, Foul Language, YAOI, PsuedoHet, AU, MPREG, OOCness, OCs, oy vey. [Rewrite]
1. Prologue

**Title**: Covered Redux  
**Author**: N.T. Whip  
**Rating**: PG-13  
**Warnings**: Foul Language, YAOI, psuedo-het, AU follows the manga timeline up to the Valley at the End and then takes a hard left, MPREG, OOCness, OCs  
**Pairings**: SasuNaru, one-sided GaaNaru  
**Summary** : Naruto learned a lot in the past five years, but he never did learn when to leave well enough alone.

**AN**: For those familiar with the story, this here's just a re-write/over-haul of the existing chapters. I may or may not finish it, since I haven't been into Naruto for well over a year now and I've lost all my original notes on the story, but we'll see.

For those unfamiliar with this story, yes, this is MPREG. And slash. I don't take this particularly seriously, so I hope you don't, either. It's just a fun little exercise, originally intended to see if I could write what I used to hate most in fanfiction, (the MPREG bit, not the slash thing.)

This re-write is dedicated to all the wonderful readers who still, even after this long, take the time to review. You're fabulous, each and every one of you.

* * *

"Covered"  
Prologue

* * *

It took two years of strenuous training on the road, with only Jiraya and his floozy of the evening as company, as well as another year of hard work at home after that, (still, unfortunately, under the lecherous moron's tutelage.)

It took him another year of simultaneously hiding from the Akatsuki, collecting information on the Sound Village, (currently under new management,) and selling his plan to the old hag and the Kazekage, enduring countless beatings from the both of them before he succeeded.

It took six months to master the jutsu necessary to veil his distinct chakra and equally distinct jutsu, both vital to the plan.

It took five months, six missions worth of pay, twenty-seven broken bones, (four of those belonging to him,) a ton of creative forgery, and six trips to the tailor before he could finally set things in motion.

It took three months of zigging, zagging, and other general attempts to disappear off the radar as himself and reappear as a rogue ninja from the Sand, (Gaara having agreed to this part of the plan only after breaking those four bones,) seven months of gaining enough trust and clout as a Sound ninja to get close to their new leader, and then an added month of pretending to heal from a nasty chest wound that had actually mended by the morning, before he realized the plan might just work.

Five years and ten months of planning, plotting, preparing, lying, conniving, and yes, even a little seducing, and he blew it all in six hours. To be more accurate, it was actually two deliciously active hours total, broken up by four hours of post/pre-sex napping. Of course, he had to wait a few more weeks before the full weight of his mistake settled like a lead balloon in his belly.

Well, perhaps a bit further south than that.

Despite the fact that the jutsu made him bleed once a month like a real girl, his cycle had been spotty at best, so he failed to notice its absence. It wasn't until he began throwing up every morning did it finally dawn on him; with the help of a plastic-cased piss-strip he snuck out at risk of death to procure, he figured out just why his period hadn't arrived as expected.

Uzumaki Naruto was with child.

Sasuke's child.

.tbc.


	2. Chapter 1

"Covered"  
Chapter 1

* * *

They circled round, hyenas waiting for the big-job predator to do all the work before they got their chance at a good meal. In the center of the large room, a lone, leggy blonde waited, seemingly uninterested in her audience. From the slashed-through symbol on her forehead protector they knew she came from the Sand and from her brazen entrance and introduction they knew she called herself Mori Aka. Her intentions, she stated quite plainly, were for Uchiha-sama's ears only.

This woman was asking for a beating. Begging for it, really, and if their leader wouldn't give it to her, they'd be more than happy to oblige. Either way, they couldn't wait for the beautiful brawl to begin.

A messenger had been sent to inform Unchiha-sama of his visitor and, for the most part, everyone waited patiently for his arrival. Kimura, ever the head-strong idiot, made the mistake of taunting her a bit, getting too close while doing so, and found himself pinned beneath her foot and groaning in a flash. The rest surged forward, not out of any loyalty to their comrade, but instead wanting blood for blood's sake.

"Heel."

The order came quiet but firm and they pulled back. All except for one, who instead flew back, having managed to reach the woman's fist before the others. He slammed into the wall beside the doorway where Uchiha-sama now stood, sliding down into a messy, whimpering pile. He didn't get up and Uchiha-sama made no move to help him, or even acknowledge his presence. He approached the newcomer who stood her ground, breath even and skin dry.

The cold gaze of the Sound leader raked across her flesh and she shivered almost imperceptibly; no one in the audience noticed it and Uchiha-sama made no motion to indicate he saw it as well.

"Your name?" he asked, voice flat and emotionless.

"Mori Aka," she answered with a sharp grin, more teeth than mirth.

"Your real name."

A moment's hesitation from the young woman before Uchiha-sama continued.

"Mori Aka? Ridiculous," he said, face and words still blank. "Which one of your cronies gave you that pathetic handle?"

Only Uchiha-sama could see the minor relaxation in her stance, but they all heard her brash response, rude in it's lacking of deference.

"Mori Rin," she answered. "I'd rather you call me 'Aka,' if it's all the same to you."

"It's not. You've left your world behind, Mori," condescension tingeing the edges of his words. "That includes the one who named you."

"A… A good friend gave me that name. It's been so long, I hardly know my real one anymore."

Uchiha-sama snorted but didn't press any further. Instead, he continued his questioning.

"Why are you here?"

"I want to join you."

"What are you running from, Mori, and why did you run here?"

"I had some disagreements with the management of my village and decided it was best to resign my commission, as it were," Mori responded, her tone light. "I didn't come here for the waters, though. I saw you in action back at your chuunin exam and figured if you'd gotten any better since then, here's as good a place as any."

"Of course," she added, "if you haven't improved, maybe this place could use a new leader. Again."

Not even a twitch from Uchiha-sama.

"You're what, seventeen?" he asked. "You should have competed in the same exam but I don't remember you at all."

"ANBU captains hardly have to fight for a rank they already earned, now do they?"

A silence settled as they all took the information in. If this woman honestly held that rank at such a young age, if that was even possible, then this might be a bit more interesting than first assumed. Or dangerous. The closest spectators shuffled backward, and the furthest back subtly made for the exits.

"Fight me," she challenged brazenly. "If you win, I'll submit to your leadership. If I win… Well, you better hope you win."

Another beat, and then Uchiha-sama nodded.

"One stipulation: no jutsus, just hand-to-hand combat. I don't need a ninja who can't protect herself with just her physical skills alone."

"Fine, but that means you can't use your freaky eye shit, either."

Uchiha-sama frowned.

"Hey," Mori shrugged, "fair is fair, right?"

And then she disappeared.

Mori's impressive speed certainly gave weight to her claims; no one, with the possible exception of Uchiha-sama could catch her movements until she reappeared behind him, a high kick aimed at the back of his head. Uchiha-sama spun and blocked the blow, grabbing her ankle and twisting. Her balance off, Mori took the move in stride and spun horizontally, landing once more on her feet and blocking the rapid succession of punches headed her way. Forced backwards, Mori remained on the defense until she found her opening. Dropping low, Mori swept low with her foot in an attempt to knock Uchiha-sama off his feet.

Naturally, the move failed. Uchiha-sama easily dodged it, leaping into the air and returning the favor with a spinning kick of his own. Although Mori shielded her open face in time, the force of the blow sent her skidding into the nearby wall. She pulled herself up from the crater her body left behind, a bit of blood staining the wall where her head had hit.

"First blood goes to me," smirked Uchiha-sama, showing emotion for the first time since the encounter began.

"And the last will go to me," Mori promised, hurling herself into the fray once more.

_4 Hours Later_

"Good…_pantpant_…fight…_pantpantpant_…I guess I'll…_pant_…let you off easy this one time," Mori gasped, leaning heavily on a concrete boulder that had, only hours before, been considered part of the floor. Drenched in sweat and blood, some hers, some not, she seemed stable enough but looks, as always in the ninja world, could be deceiving. Across the room, in a similar position, Uchiha-sama laughed low and raspy, as if his vocal cords were unaccustomed to making such a sound.

This girl had guts.

And a wicked right hook.

Where an open area once stood, now was a mess of rubble, craters, and crevices. Despite most being veteran warriors, few of the Sound ninjas had witness such carnage. That the new chick could stand after a beating like that was amazing; that she could return the favor couldn't even register in their dazed minds.

Gently wiping the blood from his bruised jaw, Uchiha-sama spat out a bit of molar before taking a few deep breaths of his own.

"You're interesting…_pant_…Mori. We'll see. For now…_pantpant_…you can stay."

"I should… _pantpant_…be saying that… _pant_… to you, Uchiha. After that performance I… _pant_…should… _pant_…be this village's new _goddess_. "

That creepy laugh again and then Uchiha stood upright and strode out, a little slower than when he came in but still steady. The crowd dispersed, no one daring to approach Mori. Once alone, she slumped to the floor, exhausted.

A shard-sharp pain in her side caused Mori to gasp and she gently prodded at her ribs, finding several of them broken. No matter, they'd heal soon enough. Pulling herself up, Mori gazed sadly at the closed door that Sasuke exited through only moments before.

"What happened to you, bastard?" she mused out loud before following slowly behind.

* * *

3 Weeks Later

* * *

"Your hair is too long. It's a liability. I want you to cut it."

Before her recent appointment as Sasuke's personal aide, Mori hadn't seen much of the young man for the first few weeks, let alone the outside world. He obviously wanted her on a short leash, giving her only menial housekeeping tasks to perform around the compound. It drove her crazy, all this waiting, but at least she knew the most recent Bingo book would corroborate her story when Sasuke inevitably checked up on her. Gaara made sure "Mori 'Aka' Rin" would be amongst the new S-Class listings, cited for attempted assassination of the Kazekage as well as a laundry list of other vicious sins. On paper, Mori looked to be a nasty little bitch, for certain.

Sasuke obviously read the reports and believed them, having taken Mori on as his aide a week prior.

Although the general population of the Sound avoided her, Mori managed to strike up a tentative acquaintanceship with some of the kitchen staff and found out some interesting reasons for such an assignment. His last aide met with an unfortunate end at the business one of a dozen or so kunais, so the position stood vacant. Mori's appointment didn't mean Sasuke trusted her, though; apparently Sasuke liked to keep his biggest threats close at hand. That meant they were within range.

On this particular morning, Mori struggled between clearing away Sasuke's breakfast dishes and keeping herself from strangling the guy. Last night they argued over whether or not Mori could handle some fieldwork and a bad night's sleep failed to dispel the animosity between them. A general nastiness hung gunmetal-grey over their heads, all ozone-tang, storm cloud sharp.

The rest of the village surely heard their row, with Mori's insistent "I'm fucking ready already" goading Sasuke into a much louder than normal "I highly doubt that." If pressed, the rest of the Sound ninjas would argee with Mori out of fear; the kitchen staff certainly did when Mori bitched about it as she waited for Sasuke's morning meal. She would have been embarrassed by their behavior if Mori actually cared about such things. As it were, she only cared what Sasuke would say, or not say, to her about the matter.

Sasuke's first comment of the day proved he had considered her demands. An odd comment, one that made Mori slip on the slick-suds of memory. Before she could stop herself, she spoke.

"I thought you liked your women to wear their hair long," she snarked, slamming a cup onto the tray before lifting it from the table.

Sasuke paused and Mori realized her gaffe too late.

"Not that it's true," he answered slowly, "but why would you think that?"

Crap.

Although she knew of the stupid rumor that kept Sakura and Ino from cutting their hair until it nearly killed them, she shouldn't, not as Mori.

"Temari-chan swooned about you for weeks, despite the chuuin exam fiasco. She kept on asking me whether or not she should wear her hair down, grow it out, blah, blah, blah, all because of some hunky 'Sasuke-kun.' It was all I could do to not kill her, just to shut her up."

Babbling like a cheeky, little monkey and feeling about as bright, Mori trailed off, praying that she sold yet another load of crap.

"How do you know the Kazekage's sister?" Sasuke asked, his voice dangerously even and soft.

"We grew up together. BFF, blood sisters, all that crap. It was her that got me the bodyguard job when her little brother became Kazekage. Man, Gaara used to give me nightmares as a child. My mom used to say 'Be good or Gaara will get you.' He was like the Sand's resident boogeyman."

"Why work for him, then?" Sasuke asked, curiosity a bare, fringe-tinge ringing around his words.

"He… changed. A lot," she laughed, soft and almost wistful. "After that exam. Gaara was still quiet, but not in that 'I'm plotting everyone's demise sort of way.' More gentle."

No response from Sasuke, just a cool look as he openly analyzed her and her words.

"Gods, listen to me go on and on about all that old shit. I'll get these to the kitchen right away."

Her annoyance at Sasuke forgotten in the face of such a dangerous flub, Mori hurried to the door, dishes rattling on the tray in a high-pitched, ceramic echo of her own prattling. Although eager to get away as quickly as possible, Sasuke's voice stopped her short at the door.

"Mori," he said in his usual, disinterested monotone, "You talk to much."

"Yeah, I know, I know. My parents hated that they could never shut me up. They always wondered how I could become a ninja. They figured the enemy would hear me coming from a mile away and all."

"Everyone has their… weaknesses. I have a meeting this morning and your hair should be no longer than chin length when I return. I have an errand for you to run."

"Yes sir," Mori grinned and stepped out.

The halls empty, Mori let her smile slide off her face. A worried grimace replaced it as she fretted over the troubling conversation. Sasuke didn't quite trust her and who could blame him? Naruto kept on surfacing, mutating the nasty bitch persona of Mori "Aka" Rin into a flighty, sentimental girly-girl.

Why did she think this could work?

Naruto never did subtle. Couldn't, really. Shouting, beating sense into people, head-on declarations of war, these were more his style and, try as she might, Mori could only keep Naruto's face hidden under all the jutsus. This was _exactly_ why he never did uncover.

Maybe the old hag and Gaara had been right to fight against this mission…

Pushing open the kitchen door with her rear, Mori carried in the breakfast tray and set it beside the novice who'd been assigned to dish-washing detail. A former genin of the Leaf, Mori could hardly stand to talk to the boy; while the other members of the kitchen staff rarely talked about their past, this little snot liked to go on and on to Mori about how, given the chance, he'd slit the Hokage-bitch's throat himself. Unfortunately, he always seemed to be on duty at meal times so, try as she might, Mori couldn't avoid the nasty bugger.

"Oi, Mori-san! Those Uchiha-sama's dishes?" he asked, gesturing to the addition to his pile. Mori glared and nodded curtly. She never spared extra words on the idiot, but since no one else was around, he'd have to do.

"Kid, you have any scissors lying around?"

* * *

2 Years and 2 Months Earlier

* * *

"Beta, do you read me?"

"Loud and clear, boss."

"Good. What's your location?"

"Sector G, north perimeter, 50 yards from the target."

"Roger that. Hold until further orders. Over and out."

Shikamaru repeated the same conversation with his five other squad members; none of them reported anything out of sorts, but he couldn't help but feel edgy. Although just a simple recon mission, the Hokage warned Shikamaru of impending troubles with the Akatsuki and added two more members to his team, just in case. According to reliable sources, the group intended to capture Naruto for their own nefarious deeds. Even with the extra padding on his squad, Shikamaru knew they couldn't handle ninjas of that particular caliber.

Also, the possibility of running into Sasuke, or Orochimaru in Sasuke's body, soured his stomach. Hokage-sama had mentioned that sour-tasting tidbit in his briefing as well.

Tensing at someone's approach, Shikamaru only relaxed when a Leaf messenger landed beside him, shaking and sharing the same branch.

"Sir, news from the village. Two Akatsuki members have engaged several ninjas inside Konoha's border."

"Hope they didn't chince on the rings," Shikamaru muttered off-handedly.

"Sir?"

"A bad joke, sorry."

"… Right, sir. The rest of the message is as follows: your team will act as escort to Uzamaki Naruto, who is to be evacuated to the Village of the Hidden Sands under orders of both the Hokage and Kazekage."

"But what about…"

Before Shikamaru could finish his argument his radio crackled to life.

"Fighting has broken out in Sector H, sir! Looks like trouble in the Sound ranks, something between S-Class criminal Orochimaru and missing-nin Uchiha Sasuke!"

Shikamaru sighed and sent the order.

"Stay out of it but keep an eye on things. I'm sending the rest of the team as back up; depending how things go, we might have to step in."

"Yes, sir!"

Calling the rest of the squad with the change in orders, Shikamaru noted the uneasy horror on the messenger's face. A genin, just barely, he doubted the boy had been this close to such a dangerous situation before. How could they have sent a child into such a volatile danger zone? Were things that bad back home?

"Look, everything's hitting the fan right now, kid. I need to stay here with my squad and you need me to get Naruto out of town, right? If you were me, what would you do?"

"I… I don't know, sir."

Silence from both parties for a moment, and then a wafer-thin, waver-voiced question.

"...Sir, is there going to be a war?"

Home may not have been much safer but Shikamaru couldn't keep the boy out here in a place like this. Another sigh. Why him? Why did he always have to make these crap decisions?

Shikamaru let his team know that he was heading back under new orders and that they should hold their positions until things got too out of hand. Also, no one was allowed to die without his permission, so they'd better all be breathing when he got back.

With hardly a sound, the branch was empty once more.

* * *

"You damn hag! I'm not going to run away from a fight!"

Tsunade twitched and restrained herself. Physically, at least.

"Brat! You can't beat them! Remember the last time Uchiha Itachi and his fish freak showed up? Even Hatake couldn't handle him and you guys had to come running to find me!"

"That's because those stupid elders thought you'd make a good Hokage! Fat lot they knew!"

That did it. Tsunade smacked Naruto and sent him stumbling.

"I'm trying to keep you alive, you idiot. You're safer under the Kazekage's freaky-albeit-watchful eyes.

"It's too late. I've already called back your escort. Shikamaru's on his way and Konohamaru's already packed up your necessities; you're heading out immediately."

"But!"

"No 'buts,' that's an order," Tsunade threatened in her best "I really, fucking mean it" tone. Pulling rank, Tsunade tried to cut the argument short with the heavy press of her position. "You're a ninja and a citizen of my village so you have to listen to what I say… For a change."

Naruto glowered but, thankfully, shut up. A knock at the door drew the Fifth's attention away from the fuming young man; it was Konohamaru with Naruto's things.

"Now, I'm going to take you to the south gate. Shikamaru and his team will take you from there to the Hidden Village of Sand. No one outside of this room knows where you'll be so that should give everyone some time to safely straighten things out. You'll stop over at a small town along the way, a neutral village, and ready your cover. The Kazekage's sending everything you need for your new Sand citizenship.

"...And don't worry, it won't be forever; just until I take care of this mess."

"Old hag…"

Tsunade turned and started. Naruto had a determined, less-than-exuberant look on his face. She didn't like it. It was too out of character.

"Thanks."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she gave him a hug, kissing him on the top of his head; he'd grown those two years away but she was still tall enough for this big sister gesture. It seemed unfair, really. Naruto had just gotten home from his travels with Jiraya and she hardly had any time to set him straight before he had to run away again.

Things really were too quiet when Naruto was gone.

"All the thanks I need is you not dieing and ruining all our plans," she said, slapping a grin on her face.

"You ready to go, bro?" Konohamaru asked from the door, his own smile screwed on a bit too tight. Naruto nodded and ruffled his hair roughly in greeting. They both looked back expectantly at Tsunade.

"Now," Tsunade exhaled, trying to sound nonchalant, "let's blow this joint."

.tbc.


End file.
